Just when you thought it was safe to watch SyFy, ‘Sharknado 5’ comes along

You didn’t really think we’d seen the last of the Sharknado franchise, did you?

SyFy and Sharknado studio The Asylum confirmed today that the saga of mankind’s desperate war against airborne aquatic predators will indeed continue with a fifth installment, and principal photography has already begun on the film.

Along with confirming production on Sharknado 5 — the film’s current working title — the studio also announced that the film will bring back franchise stars Ian Ziering and Tara Reid, its veteran shark-fighting protagonists. Sharknado and Sharknado 3: Oh Hell No actress Cassie Scerbo will also reprise her role as bartender-turned-sharkfighter Nova in the fifth installment.

After tormenting Los Angeles in the original, 2013 film and then heading east to New York City for the sequel, the series brought the shark-filled meteorological phenomenon down the East Coast to Florida in the third film, only to ravage the entire country in last year’s Sharknado: The 4th Awakens. And now, it seems, the disaster has gone global.

Once again directed by Anthony C. Ferrante, the filmmaker responsible for the first four films in the franchise, Sharknado 5 is expected to film in the United Kingdom, Australia, and various other countries. Shooting is currently underway in Bulgaria.

Across four films, the Sharknado franchise has done surprisingly well for SyFy, and managed to extend its low-budget campy appeal for quite a bit longer than most pundits expected. Last year’s installment, Sharknado: The 4th Awakens, attracted 2.77 million viewers despite being the worst-reviewed film of the franchise so far by professional critics and audiences alike. With the franchise going global in Sharknado 5, it could be nearing the end of its run — unless it heads to space, of course.